I’ve had the opportunity to use many website builders on the web, but very few have as many customizations and features as the free Wix HTML5 editor. Everything can be customized, including fonts, layout, widgets, and colors. There are a whole slew of widgets and addons for pages, including online shops, Facebook pages, art blogs, slideshows, contact forms, Google Maps, community forums, stats counter, and much more.

I know many artists who are already using Wix for their portfolios. In the coming weeks I will be writing specific tutorials for adding some of these elements to your Wix pages. The tutorials will also include plenty of advice and tips artists can apply to their existing art sites.

For those who desire to begin creating a portfolio site with Wix right now, this is the place to begin:

HTML5 Wix Website Builder Tutorial

The name you choose will appear at the end of your personal site domain. Click Save and wait for the Wix editor to reload.

I don’t think you should publish your site just yet.. there’s no art there! So hit the Continue Editing link.

At the left of this page are the main icons for the Wix editor.

Pages – Easily navigate through Wix pages, and create pages, subpages, and transitions. Settings and SEO can also be adjusted for each page here. Just click the little cog wheel icon at the right of each page name. If you don’t like the default style, click the Change Style button, and select a style. Hit Edit Style to change a preset style, which will change borders, color, corners, and frames.

Design – Make changes to the background, color, and fonts.

Add – This is the place to add widgets and other elements to your pages. There are many options here, and each of them have further customizations. Find widgets such as slideshows, video, image galleries, online stores, Paypal, Ebay, contact forms, forums, chat, and much more. I am very impressed with all the widgets available!

Settings – This is the place to change statistics and SEO for your site. Connect a domain name, add a custom Favicon, and more. Also set your title, description and keywords for proper SEO.

Changing Settings on Widgets

Click on a section of your page. A colored border appears around the box. Widgets and boxes can be dragged and repositioned elsewhere, and resized. To resize, click on the colored border and drag it. To change settings on a particular part of your page, click to reveal a menu. With the slideshow gallery pictured at the right, there are options to organize images, change settings, and set a style.

Click Organize Images to find the place to add your images, along with titles and descriptions.

Top Menu

The top menu contains icons for copy, paste, gridlines, and snap to grid.

Preview – See a preview of your website before publishing. Save – Save a draft of your website anytime. As for creating any site, I recommend you save often. Publish – When your site is completed, click this button to make it available on the World Wide Web. Upgrade – Hit upgrade to signup for a premium package and add your own domain. Help Center – Click the help center icon for tips on everything from creating pages to adjusting your settings. If you have a specific question, type it in the box at the top.

Should you upgrade to a Wix premium plan?

In summary, the main reasons artists would upgrade is to have a custom domain, remove the Wix ad at the bottom, unlimited bandwidth, and extra storage. With a custom domain you will not be building up a website for someone else. A custom domain will help to influence people linking to your site, and help you look more professional. With a domain of your own, you will be investing in the future of your site and art career.

Click the big yellow Start Now button. Hit Premium at the top, then Wix Premium Plans. You will see a popup chart with a comparison of the main Wix plans.

If you have used the Wix HTML5 website builder, what are your impressions? If you use this tutorial to create a portfolio site of your own, please return to this page and let us know your website address. If I like what I see, I will Tweet it and post it to our Artpromotivate Facebook page.